Burner



an. 24, 1967 H. L. FRlcK 3,299,94

BURNER Filed Jan. 1l, 1965 3 Sheets-Shoe*I 1 Jan. 24, 1967 H. l.. FRICK 3,299,941

BURNER Filed Jan. 1l, 1965 5 Sheets-Sheet 2 Jan. Z4, 1967 H. L. FRlcK 3,299,941

BURNER Filed Jan. ll, 1965 5 Sheets-Sheet 3 ai Y s 43 1.5 45 44 United States Patent Office Patented Jan. 24, i967 3,299,941 BURNER Harold L. Frick, Marion, Ohio, assigner to Whirlpool Corporation, a corporation of Delaware Filed Jan. 11, 1965, Ser. No. 424,493 4 Claims. (Cl. 158-115) This invention relates to a fuel burner particularly of the surface cooking burner type. The burner of this invention is particularly well adapted for use in combination with an upwardly sealed surface member or cook top.

A primary object of the invention is to provide an economical burner having a head containing a fuel-air chamber defined by wall means that also enclose an igniter tu'be so as to eliminate the need for any opening in the surface member or `cook top other than that required for the projecting burner head.

In fuel burners particularly of the surface cooking type= a lgaseous fuel and air mixture is provided to a chamber within a b-urner head, projected from the :burner head through ports, and then i-gnited to produce the desired flame pattern. The burner of this invention is generally of this type and may be characterized as comprising a burner head having fuel supply means and including `wall means defining a fuel chamber in the burner head, the burner head dening fuel ports com-municating with the fuel chamber for projecting fuel from the charnber to the ambient atmosphere and an igniter tube positioned within the burner head wall means and having a flame exit opening adjacent a port and a llame entrance opening spaced from the llame exit opening.

Ignition of the burner is accomplished by supplying an air-gas fuel mixture to the fuel chamber while at the same time supplying a fuel mixture to t-he igniter tube, and then, when both fuel mixtures are Iburnable, igniting the fuel at the llame entrance opening of the igniter tube. The fuel in the igniter tube burns and the flame resulting from the burning exits at the igniter tube exit opening which is adjacent a burner port. This llame ignites the combustable fuel mixture being projected from the adjacent 'burner port and immediately flame transfer takes place from port-to-port in a conventional manner until the entire burner is lit.

With the igniter tube located within Vthe walls of the burner hea-d, mounting and sealing of the :burner head to a surface member of cook top is greatly si-mplified due to the generally regular shape of burner heads and cook top openings therefor as contrasted to prior'art burner heads using standing pilots. In addition to the advantage of easy mounting and sealing, the lburner of the invention provides another advantage by permitting the pilot for the burner to be located beneath the sealed surface member or cook top without the necessity of having an adjacent opening in the cook top above the pilot. This is accomplished by locating the igniter tube exit opening above the cook top and the igniter tube flame entrance opening below the cook top. Thus, the igniter tube provides a path for piloting flame from beneath the cook top to above the cook top without the attendant disadvantage of requiring a secondary opening in the cook top adjacent the burner head. This permits the use of either a positive seal around the burner head at the place of its junction with the cook top or the utilization of an upturned portion immediately circumjacent the burner head to preclude spillage on the cook top from passing through and below the cook top onto the subjacent electrical controls, `gas conduits, standing pilot and venturis which might be clogged or contaminated and thereby create safety or operational hazards. Furthermore, there is no danger of a user being burned by coming in contact with piloting means while cleaning the cook top, as was possible in some prior sealed cook tops where a standing pilot was located above the cook top surface member.

Other features and advantages of the invention will be apparent from the following description thereof taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which:

FIGURE 1 is a perspective view of a cooking unit embodying the invention.

FIGURE 2 is a fragmentary sectional view through a surface cooking unit having a burner embodying the invention.

FIGURE 3 is a fragmentary elevational view partially in section of an alternate embodiment of the burner of FIGURE 2.

FIGURE 4 is a fragmentary sectional view through another embodiment of the invention.

FIGURE 5 is a fragmentary elevational view partially in section through a further embodiment of the invention.

In the embodiment of FIGURES 1-2, there is provided a sheet metal cooking top 10 having a recessed portion 11 with this recessed portion spanned by a pan support or grate 12 for each burner or burner head 18. The grates are for supporting pots and pans such as a cooking vessel 13. The adjacent corners of the grates are supported by a center post 5t).

Control valves 14 operated by exposed knobs 15 control the supply of a gaseous fuel and air mixture to the burner. Gaseous fuel is supplied from a manifold pipe 16 to a venturi conduit 17 forming a part of the burner 18. Venturi conduit 1'7 is provided lwith an air aperture 17a and shutter 17b for controlling the amount of primary air which is mixed with the gaseous fuel in venturi conduit 17.

Each burner 18 has an annular vertical head portion 19 (FIGURE 2) at its inner end extending upwardly through the recessed portion 11. This head portion 19 includes wall means 20 defining a vertically extending annular chamber 21 that is open in the center, as shown at 22, for the convection flow of secondary air. At the top of the chamber 21 there is provided a burner ring or cap 49 for closing chamber 21 and having a plurality of outlet ports 23 for projecting a combustible air-gas mixture to produce a llame 24 while the burner is operating.

In order to ignite the fuel and air mixture projected from the ports 23 there is provided an igniter tube 25 positioned within chamber 21. In each of the embodiments of FIGURES 1-2 and 3, this igniter tube 25 extends vertically through the burner head and has a flame exit opening 26 adjacent a port 23 and a llame entrance end 27 spaced from the opening 26. In the embodiments shown, the openin-g 26 is at the top of the tube 25 and the opening 27 is at the bottom.

Each unit shown in FIGURES 1-2 and 3 provides for igniting an emerging gas mixture from a standing pilot 28 that is located adjacent an outer end of a flash tube 29. The other end of this flash tube 29 is adjacent a lighter jet assembly 30 which is located at the bottom of the igniter tube 25 adjacent the flame entrance end 27 of igniter tube 25. The lighter jet assembly 30 is attached to burner head 19 and communicates with annular chamber 21 through a passageway 31 in the lighter jet assembly. Lighter jet assembly 30 is provided with spaced ports 32 and 51 interconnected by a slot 53. Ports 32 and 51 supply a combustable fuel mixture to flash tube 29 and igniter tube 25, respectively, as hereinafter more fully described.

With this arrangement when the gaseous fuel is turned on through the burner side wall at the valve 14 it flows through conduit 17 where it is mixed with air, into the chamber 21 and through the burner ports 23. At the same time fuel mixture is supplied from the chamber 21 by way of passageway 31 to the lighter jet assembly 30 and from there to the interior of the flash tube 29 and upwardly in the igniter tube 25 through ports 32 and 51, respectively. When the fuel mixture in the flash tube 29 is sufficiently rich to support combustion, flame 52 flashes from the pilot 28 through the flash tube 29, to the mixture rising from the jet assembly 311 by way of port 32, slot 53 and port 51, around the outer surface of the jet assembly 30 between ports 32 and 51 and up through the vertical igniter tube 25 as shown at 33 to ignite the fuel lmixture emerging from the adjacent burner port 23. As soon as the emerging fuel mixture is ignited adjacent the flame exit opening 26, flame immediately flashes around the entire burner.

The embodiment of FIGURE 4 is somewhat similar to those of FIGURES 1, 2 and 3 except here the top 32 of the enclosed igniter tube 35 terminates at a burner port 23. The burner of FIGURE 4 is provided with a separate fuel supply pipe 46 for lighter jet assembly 30. Pipe 46 is supplied with gaseous fuel from valve 14 and primary air is mixed with the gaseous fuel in aspirator 47. Lighter jet assembly 30 is attached to burner head 19 but does not communicate with chamber 21 in this embodiment. This embodiment facilitates lighting at low turndown of the burner or relighting of a modulated burner.

In the embodiment of FIGURE 5, the burner 37 has a solid top 38 rather `than the secondary air opening 22 of the first embodiment so as to further seal the unit against spilled foods penetrating beneath the cook top 39 which is sealed `to the burner 37 by sealing means 40 similar to the sealing means 34 of the first embodiment.

Also in this embodiment of FIGURE 5, the vertical igniter tube 41 terminates at a port 42. In `this embodiment, the gas-air mixture is supplied from the fuel chamber to the tube 41 through :an opening 43 in a bottom fitting 44 and is ignited by means of an electrically operated sparking device shown diagrammatically at 45.

The novel positioning of the igniter tube within the fuel mixture chamber of the surface burner provides a means by 'which many of thel problems currently encountered in gas 'ranges and cook tops may be solved. Among these problems is range top cleanability. As previously -mentioned, the lburner of the invention may be positively sealed to the cook top as indicated by a flexible -heat resistant seal 34 in FIGURE 2, -or the cook top may be provided with an upturned portion 48 (FrIGURE 4) immediately circumjacent the burner head without a seal to preclude spillage `on the cook top from passing to beneath the cook top. Thus, any spillage is readily accessible on the cook top and may be easily cleaned. Pilot stoppage due to spillage is also eliminated under normal circumstances. If, however, the pilot should be extinguished, one need simply light the burner manually and flame will dlash back through the ignitertube, through the flash tube and ignite the standing pilot once more. The simplicity and clean lines of the burner also permit styling of both burner heads and cook tops heretofore unavailable in gas ranges. All of the embodiments shown provide these basic advantages and it will be obvious to those skilled in the art that features shown in each of the embodiments may be incorporated in each of the other embodiments as may be desired. It will be appreciated that igniter tube 25 may be extended below the bottom of chamber 21 if due to the configuration of the 'burner head it is desirable to locate the lighter jet assembly at a lower point with respect to the botto-m of chamber 21.

Having described my invention as related to the embodiments shown in the accompanying drawings, it is my intention that the invention be not limited by any of the details of description, unless otherwise specified, but -rather be construed broadly within its spirit 'and scope :as set `out in the accompanying claims.

The embodiments of the invention in which an exclusive property or privilege is claimed are defined as follows:

1. A fuel burner, comprising: a burner head having fuel supply means including wall means defining a fuel chamber in said head having an upper :and lower end and fuel ports for projecting fuel from said head adjacent said upper end; an igniter tube located within said wall means and having an upper flame exit opening adjacent one of said ports and a bottom flame entrance opening spaced from said flame exit opening; means for supplying fuel to said igniter tube; means for igniting fuel at said flame entrance opening, thereby projecting flame through said igniter tube and igniting fuel emerging from said one port; and a surface member having lateral length and breadth through which said burner head extends with said fuel ports being above said surface member and said flame entrance opening and said means for igniting fuel located beneath I'and hidden by said surface member.

2. The yburner of claim 1 wherein the means for supplying fuel to said igniter tube is attached to -said burner head 'beneath said surface member and communicates with said fuel chamber.

3. The assembly yof claim 1 wherein said flame exit opening substantially coincides with one of said ports.

4. A fuel burner, comprising: a burner head having fuel supply means including wall means defining a fuel chamber in said head having an upper and lower end and fuel ports for vprojecting fuel from said head adjacent said upper end; an igniter tube located Iwithin said wall means and having an upper flame exit opening in said wall means adjacent -one of said ports and a bottom flame entrance opening spaced from said Iflame exit opening and exposed to the exterior of said wall means; and .a lighter jet assembly for supplying flame to said igniter tube at said flame entrance opening.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,083,602 6/1937 Harper 158--1 15 2,759,471 8/ 1956 Crone 158-115 3,176,753 4/1965 Townsend 158--115 FOREIGN PATENTS 268,585 10/1929 Italy.

JAMES W. WESTHAVER, Pl'nmry Examiner. 

1. A FUEL BURNER, COMPRISING: A BURNER HEAD HAVING FUEL SUPPLY MEANS INCLUDING WALL MEANS DEFINING A FUEL CHAMBER IN SAID HEAD HAVING AN UPPER AND LOWER END AND FUEL PORTS FOR PROJECTING FUEL FROM SAID HEAD ADJACENT SAID UPPER END; AN IGNITER TUBE LOCATED WITHIN SAID WALL MEANS AND HAVING AN UPPER FLAME EXIT OPENING ADJACENT ONE OF SAID PORTS AND A BOTTOM FLAME ENTRANCE OPENING SPACED FROM SAID FLAME EXIT OPENING; MEANS FOR SUPPLYING FUEL TO SAID IGNITER TUBE; MEANS FOR IGNITING FUEL AT SAID FLAME ENTRANCE OPENING, THEREBY PROJECTING FLAME THROUGH SAID IGNITER TUBE AND IGNITING FUEL EMERGING FROM SAID ONE PORT; AND A SURFACE MEMBER HAVING LATERAL LENGTH AND BREADTH THROUGH WHICH SAID BURNER HEAD EXTENDS WITH SAID FUEL PORTS BEING ABOVE SAID SURFACE MEMBER AND SAID FLAME ENTRANCE OPENING AND SAID MEANS FOR IGNITING FUEL LOCATED BENEATH AND HIDDEN BY SAID SURFACE MEMBER. 